


Where There's Smoke, There's A Fire

by fourdrunksluts



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Kid Fic, M/M, idiots to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:27:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24920800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fourdrunksluts/pseuds/fourdrunksluts
Summary: “I brought my frisbee,"Corny yells, his two missing teeth pushing his lisp out, and Calum smiles even bigger. "Could Daphne and I please throw it?”With big brown eyes, Daphne looks up at Calum, bottom lip wobbling pleadingly. “Can I, Un - ”“Yeah!” Calum shouts, perhaps a bit too loudly, cutting Daphne off. “Go play!” It was close, Daphne almost giving away just who Calum really is to her, but nobody looks suspicious in the least, and Calum breathes out in relief as Daphne and Corny run off to the open area with the frisbee flapping between them.“Stay where we can see you!” Michael shouts, and Calum curses under his breath that he didn’t think to say something to them…He might be a bad father.-In an attempt to impress Michael, Calum pretends to be a father too.
Relationships: Michael Clifford/Calum Hood
Comments: 8
Kudos: 63





	Where There's Smoke, There's A Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from _Liar_ by Noah Cyrus

As he’s walking out of the studio after another session runs too long, Calum’s phone buzzes with a message from his sister, Mali, asking him to pick up Daphne, her daughter and his niece, from school. He works as a session musician at a local studio downtown, so he usually has a lot of free time throughout the day, and he’s never afraid to jump in and give a helping hand to his family. His family definitely isn’t afraid to ask for it, using him as a bit of a gopher for them. 

The studio he plays at is across town from Daphne’s school, but he has enough time to make it there given traffic isn’t too horrible, even if he’ll be cutting it close to the bell. He makes sure her carseat is in his backseat before making his way onto the main road to her primary school. 

Before Daphne was born, her dad stepped out of the picture. He was terrified eyes and shaking hands, and the fear of his life moving too quickly. He wasn’t ready to be a father, and he told Mali as much, leaving her, only twenty years old, with a child of her own to raise. Alone. Calum had only just gotten out of high school and was a cashier at the local music shop, but he moved in with his sister, and helped out however he could. 

It’s been six years, and Calum’s since moved into his own place, but he still makes sure to keep his schedule open enough to be there for when Mali and Daphne need him. 

Traffic ends up delaying him slightly, and he pulls up to a nearly empty parking lot, most of the parents having come and gone. He shows his ID at the office, and they let him down the hall for pick-up. 

The classroom still has a few students left, easing Calum’s timing guilt a bit, and they’re sitting around a table, all coloring messily on pages that seem to be torn from a coloring book. Daphne’s sitting in a seat that faces his direction, but she’s so caught up in her art that she doesn’t notice him smiling at her. 

To get her attention, he whistles - something he does every time he picks her up - and she, along with a couple of her classmates, looks up sharply. Her entire face lights up as she gasps. 

“Uncle Calum!” She abandons her coloring book and races towards Calum. He crouches down and opens his arms for her to fly into. He picks her up and spins her around, her giggling echoing in his ear. “What are you doing here?” she asks, and Calum puts her back on the ground but stays crouched down at her level. 

“Your mom got tied up at work,” he tells her, and she nods along. “She asked if I could pick you, and you know I’d never say no.” He boops her nose and she laughs again. “Go get your stuff, Daph. I’ll wait here.” 

With an eager jump, she runs back to the table and begins stuffing her papers into her tiny yellow backpack. Calum watches on fondly for a moment, but then someone is passing by his still-squatting body, and he averts his attention to the guy. He doesn’t look much older than Calum, if at all, and he’s blond… and really fucking pretty. He approaches the table, crouching down to talk to one of the boys sitting there, both of them grinning at each other. He ruffles the boy’s hair and then begins to help him put his books away, and Calum’s never felt so engrossed in something before. 

Daphne runs back over, landing at his feet with a jolt. “I’m ready!” she announces, and Calum laughs at the haphazard way her jacket is on top of her backpack. He reaches out to help her fix it, guiding her arms through the sweater, and sliding her backpack on overtop of the material. 

“ _ Now _ you’re ready,” he corrects, standing up his full height. He looks over and catches the guy from before looking at him with a soft smile. When he notices Calum watching him, he smirks with a wink. Calum feels a little warm. 

“Can you carry me?” Daphne asks, voice cutting through the moment. 

“Can I  _ carry _ you?” Calum repeats, a mock-outrage in his voice as if he isn’t going to pick her up anytime she asks. “Don’t you have your own legs?”

Without looking down to check, Daphne immediately shakes her head, a determination in her voice as she insists, “I don’t.” 

“You don’t?”

“No…” Following her answer, Daphne’s entire body goes completely lax, and Calum has to rush forward to catch her before she completely collapses onto the floor. She’s just young enough to not think about the risk of hitting her head on the linoleum floor, and Mali would kill Calum if Daphne returned home so much as even just pouting. 

“You’re so difficult sometimes,” Calum groans, and Daphne just giggles, letting herself be picked up by him. 

“That’s what mommy says about you!” 

It should be insulting, but Calum finds himself laughing along because… well, she’s not wrong to say that about him. 

Looking up again, almost ready to make his way back to the car, Calum sees the guy from earlier sliding the backpack on his son’s shoulder and smiles at the sight it makes. Of course, his stare is noticed again, and the guy grins in return. 

“Hey Daph?” Calum asks, keeping his voice low so nobody else hears. 

Exaggeratedly, Daphne whispers back, “What?”

“Who’s that?” He looks up towards where the guy is grabbing for his son’s hand to head towards the second door, away from Calum and Daphne. 

“Oh, that’s Corny,” Daphne explains. “He’s really smart, but all of his lunches are gross.” Calum looks over to see her grimacing, her tiny round nose scrunching up in disgust. “Andrew makes fun of him sometimes, but mommy told me that’s mean, so I don’t do that.”

Calum nods, realizing that this six year old  _ obviously _ wasn’t going to know about her classmate’s father, and would instead think he was asking about the boy. He doesn’t want her to feel like she wasn’t heard, or that Calum didn’t want the information she provided, so he says, “It  _ is _ mean. I’m proud of you.” And Daphne beams, one of her incisors missing from her grin. Calum smiles back. “Now how about we go get some dinner together.”

“Oh my gosh,  _ yes _ !” Daphne’s relief filled gasp is dramatic and over-the-top in an innocent way that only a six-year-old can pull off. “Uncle Calum, I think you might be the smartest person I know!”

Calum can’t help but laugh. He slides her around his body and gives her a piggyback ride to the parking lot. When he sees the blond guy buckling Corny into his seat, smiling at what his son is saying, Calum grins to himself, feeling a bit stupid when Daphne asks him why he looks so happy, but completely unable to wipe the look off his face.

⇆

After dropping Daphne off the day before, Calum stuck around for an extra hour longer than he usually does, begging Mali to let him pick Daphne up the next day as well. She doesn't give in easily, insisting that it's unnecessary and that she doesn't want to stretch Calum too thin in case she may need him again soon. It took some convincing, Calum explaining that it isn't a chore for him to spend time with his niece, and she eventually gave in with a sigh that she said she wasn't so much on board with it than she was tired of arguing. 

The next day, Calum makes sure to be done in the studio before three, not wanting to risk his session to run over, but he still doesn't arrive to the school alongside the other parents. His tardiness is purposeful this time, showing up a few minutes late, wanting to catch another view of the pretty blond dad from the day before. He shows his ID at the office aga8n, and gets let through the hallway doors, walking into the classroom and whistling. 

Daphne looks up excitedly excitedly at the noise. "Again?!" A few of the kids look over curiously as she drops her color pencils, but she ignores them, running over and hugging him again. "I must be the luckiest person that I ever even met!" 

Hugging her back, Calum lets himself laugh along. There's a slight guilt that comes alongside using her as a pawn to see Corny’s dad again, but it’s not like he doesn’t enjoy her company as well. She’s sweet, his favorite kid, and he loves hanging out with her. Today, though, this isn’t about Daphne, it’s about the pretty blond and his cocky smile and how Calum hasn't been able to stop thinking about him in the past twenty-four hours. 

Right on schedule, he walks through the door just then. He passes Calum, smirking, greeting with a casual, "Hey." 

"Hi…" His voice is barely-there, a whisper into the air between them as he watches the guy walk over to his son and start helping him close his books. Calum sets Daphne back to her feet, instructing, "Go grab your stuff, Daph."

As he waits, he looks up to get another eyeful of his reasoning to be here, only to see a set of long legs approaching. He stands to his full height then, rising just in time for the pretty, tall blind to reach him. "Hey," he says, repeating exactly what he did earlier as first passed by, and Calum grins, hoping it comes off charming. "I’m Michael."

"Calum." 

"I haven’t seen you around here before," he mentions. His gaze drifts back over to the table where the kids are stuffing their bags full. "Usually Daphne’s mom is doing round-up duty."

"She’s been busy at work lately, so I’ve been stepping in a bit." He's not exactly lying. Mali definitely was busy yesterday. Just because Calum's taking advantage of the school pick up doesn't make his words any less true. Michael nods along. "Plus it’s good to have alone time with Daphne. It’s hard growing up in a single parent household, so making sure she has two figures in her life to look up to is important for her." 

Were Calum maybe paying better attention, he'd have heard the context underneath his words. He's too preoccupied with Michael's toothy grin to consider it. 

"So you’re single then?" 

And that's when it hits. Calum realizes that Michael must think he’s Daphne’s dad, that the reason he's picking her up is as a parental task and not a kind brother's favor. He could easily say no, could be honest and say he’s her uncle but he  _ is  _ single - single and very  _ very  _ okay with dating someone with kids. He could absolutely tell the truth, but then he remembers a few years back when Mali dated a guy that had no kids, and he didn’t want anything to do with Daphne. After that, she made it very clear to Calum, her boyfriend, and anybody that would listen that she was never going to see anyone without kids ever again. As a parent, her first priority is her child - something Calum understands wholeheartedly. Knowing that and having a flirty, cute Michael in front of him, Calum doesn’t want to ruin his chances before they’ve started. 

"I’m very single," he says instead of correcting the misconception. When Michael grins, Calum knows he’s made the right choice. 

"That’s good to hear," Michael tells him, stepping forward just an inch. "I am too."

Unable to stop himself, Calum grins at the action, feeling like he's allowed to be as flirtatious as he wants now. "Us single dads have to stick together." 

The returning look Calum gets from Michael is one of confusion, and Calum curses himself silently for being so stupid and bad at flirting. Nothing sounds cheesier than anything mentioning being a single father, and he wants to smack himself in the forehead and rush to apologize before Michael can tell him how dumb he sounds. 

Neither of them get a chance to say anything, though. Corny comes flying over, nearly tumbling into Michael's legs. "Michael, I am ready to go!" His voice is high, and his two front teeth are missing when he smiles, reaching up towards his dad. Calum's heart melts a little at the sight. 

"Kids!" Michael laughs, his head throwing itself back dramatically as he reaches down and grabs for Corny's outstretched hand, holding it in his own. "He’s in  _ that _ phase where he calls me by my name. He has no respect for me." He laughs but it seems forced, and Calum gets it. He thinks it must be tough having a stubborn kid that won’t call you ‘dad,' especially being a single father. 

"Excuse me, Michael," Corny frowns, and Calum has to hold back a laugh when he hears the lisp in his words. "I have lotsa respect for you. You’re my hero." Michael rubs his hand through his hair, and Corny turns to face Calum. "I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself, Mr. Daphne’s dad. My name is Cornelius Crane Cadbury, and I - "

His introduction is cut short by Michael putting his hand around Corny’s mouth, making him huff, eyebrows immediately looking angry behind his thick-rimmed glasses. 

"His mom picked his name," Michael explains, words tumbling out in a rush. 

Struggling against Michael's hand, Corny breaks free to loudly protest, "She did  _ not _ . My name was my father’s idea, and I  _ love _ it." There's such a pure spirit behind how he speaks and moves, and Calum finds it endlessly endearing 

A tugging on his shirt pulls Calum's attention away. He looks down to see Daphne behind him, half-hiding her face behind his thigh. "I’m hungry," she says, sounding more like a question, her voice low with it. 

"Right." Calum nods once, decidedly. He turns to where Michael's watching him. "We should probably head out."

"Us too," Michael sighs, and maybe Calum's too optimistic, but he almost looks disappointed by it. "Have to get dinner ready." 

Corny nods eagerly alongside his dad. "We’re having salmon and asparagus," he informs them. "My  _ favorite _ ." Calum has to bite his tongue against giggling. There were a lot of esses in the sentence said with a lisp. It was rather adorable, and even Michael’s cheeks are pinking. 

Something about them all leaving, not saying when they'll see each other again, leaves a sour taste in Calum's mouth. "Maybe we could meet up for a playdate sometime soon?" he offers, holding his breath for a positive reception, only allowing himself to exhale when Michael nods. 

"Absolutely," he agrees. "We could go to a park or something."

"Peri Peri Park?" Calum suggests, knowing it'll be far easier to convince Mali to let him take Daphne if it's close to her house. "Saturday?" 

Michael's grin comes easy and looks like a dream. "That’s perfect. I’ll see you there at ten?"

A part of Calum needs to take a step back and thank whatever deity is looking out for him when he doesn't immediately begin nodding along, managing to remember that he has an actual job that doesn't involve pretending his niece is his daughter so he can romance the cute dad of said fake-daughter's classmate. "Can we make it noon? I have to work in the morning." 

"Noon is perfect." Michael and Corny leave after that, Corny excitedly talking about finding his old frisbee for the park, his hands flailing in front of him. 

When Calum looks down to see if they're ready to go as well, he instead catches Daphne's frown. "You alright, Daph?" he asks, not surprised at all she shakes her head fervently. 

" _ I _ want to go to the park Saturday," she says, her foot stomping a little with it. 

"You are," Calum yells her behind his laugh, unable to help but find the humor in her mini tantrum. "That’s what we planned. You me, Corny, and Michael. We’re going to play frisbee, it sounds like." 

An exhausted sigh falls from Daphne's lips as she crosses her arms in front of her. "Well you could’ve  _ told _ me before I got sad," she stresses, and Calum snickers a bit louder as he grabs for her hand. 

"You’re right. My apologies, Miss Hood." 

⇆

"No fucking way." 

Calum groans loudly, his head falling on the granite counter he's leaning against. "Mali,  _ please _ ." 

As Daphne finishes her worksheets upstairs, Mali's cooking dinner for the three of them - Calum having decided to stick around for the second night in a row, feeling better surrounded by family. He'd very kindly, very persuasively asked Mali if he could take Daphne to the park on Saturday for a few hours, but she'd immediately turned him down, not having it for even a second. 

He hadn't even attempted to bring up the Michael of it all. 

"You’ve stolen my daughter twice this week - "

"You asked me yesterday, actually," Calum argues. He's not typically someone to get caught up in the little details, but he's feeling slightly petty about it, especially since the little details are keeping him from achieving his destiny to make Michael fall in love with him. "I’ve stolen her once."

Turning the stove off, and moving the pan over to a new burner, Mali rolls her eyes. "My bad." She sighs and turns to the doorway. "Daphne, dinner!" 

There’s a thud upstairs, and Calum grins to himself when the eager footfalls echo on the floorboards afterwards. He turns back to see Mali still frowning as she dishes the pasta out into three bowls. “C’mon, Mali,” he pleads. “You’re always so preoccupied with Daph that you never get alone time. Let me help you out.”

“I wanted to surprise her with a spa day with me Saturday,” Mali tells him. “I thought it’d be cute.” 

It  _ is _ cute, Calum knows, and he doesn’t want to get in the way of them bonding - especially knowing how often Mali ends up stuck late at work, unable to do much more than give Daphne a bath and read her a bedtime story before she passes out in Daphne’s twin bed alongside her daughter. He’d have to be a monster to want to intentionally spoil that, and he doesn’t  _ want _ to, but… There’s a very hot father just beginning for Calum’s attention, and he’d have to be an idiot to give up the opportunity to make something happen, to impress him with his awesome dadding skills. 

“I mean…” Calum weighs everything in his head, searching for a win/win, when Daphne runs into the kitchen. “All I want is one day. We’re just going to the park on Bolinas, and we’ll be gone no more than two hours. You can do the spa afterwards.”

Daphne gasps at the word ‘spa’ and Calum mouths ‘sorry’ at Mali’s well-deserved scowl, aimed at him for ruining the surprise. “I just…” Mali slides a bowl to Daphne, a small fork with a thick, purple casing around the handle sticking up from it. “Why do you  _ need _ to go on Saturday? What could be so urgent?”

“He wants to spend time with Mr. Cadbury,” Daphne says before shoving a large bit of the pasta in her mouth, getting the sauce all over her face. Calum glares at the loud-mouthed little girl, feeling himself pink up at being caught. 

When Mali laughs, Calum ducks his head, and the blush on his face only gets bigger when she stops to ask, “Oh my god, really?”

“Well - ”

“Corny Cadbury’s  _ dad _ ?” Mali asks. There’s disgust coating her tone, a crunch in her nose that makes Calum feel ashamed for nothing but liking a perfectly pleasant boy. “Are you serious?” Calum nods hesitantly. “ _ Ew _ , Calum. That’s - ”

“Okay, shut up,” Calum bites, hating how rude she’s being when Michael’s an absolute angel. He feels angry, protective over the guy he likes. He just doesn’t understand what’s so bad about Michael that Mali’s being so judgemental. He wants to put up a fight, but then he remembers the politics in their small town, and the PTO wars, and maybe there’s some stupid rivalry there that makes the name ‘Cadbury’ a curseword in the house. Calum really doesn’t care, he wants to kiss Michael’s fairy nose. “Don’t judge me for being into him when you dated that hand model for like two months last year.”

Mali rolls her eyes dramatically and pushes Calum’s bowl across the counter with a force that splashes some sauce on the counter. “He was weird, yeah, but at least he was - ”

“I don’t want to hear it,” he stops her before she can say something Calum won’t be able to unhear. “Let me take Daphne to the park and talk to the cute dad.” Mali mouths the word ‘cute’ to herself, nose scrunched and face baffled. “ _ Please _ , Mali. I’ll buy us all dinner that night and even do the dishes.”

“God…” She looks thoroughly disgusted but shakes her head despite it. “Fine, I guess. But if you two end up falling in love, I don’t want an invite to that wedding.” Calum purses his lip against yelling at her for bullying a beautiful and nice man. 

“Deal.” 

He doesn’t want her at his wedding anyway. 

⇆

Carrying Daphne on his shoulders, Calum crosses Bolinas Road, past the old auto repair shop, and makes his way onto the grass of the park. In the distance, he can see Michael and Corny making their way across from the other end. They’re carrying a frisbee and a soccer ball, and immediately he’s jealous and frustrated that he didn’t do something similar, something fatherly. Showing up at a park with nothing isn’t very convincing, and he’s afraid he’s coming off like a dad that doesn’t know what he’s doing. 

“If it isn’t the Hoods!” Michael’s voice sounds through the clear, warm air. 

A few heads look in their direction from various picnic blankets and benches, but Calum doesn’t pay them any mind. Daphne doesn’t either, yelling, “It  _ is _ us,” as her hands curl gently into the strands of Calum’s hair. 

Grinning, Calum maneuvers her off his shoulders, making sure she’s on two stable legs before letting her run off ahead of him. He catches up, not shortly after, smiling at Michael and Corny. “Hey, Corny, how are you doing today?”

“Splendid!” Corny yells, his two missing teeth pushing his lisp out, and Calum smiles even bigger. “I brought my frisbee. Could Daphne and I please throw it?”

With big brown eyes, Daphne looks up at Calum, bottom lip wobbling pleadingly. “Can I, Un - ”

“Yeah!” Calum shouts, perhaps a bit too loudly, cutting Daphne off. “Go play!” It was close, Daphne almost giving away just who Calum really is to her, but nobody looks suspicious in the least, and Calum breathes out in relief as Daphne and Corny run off to the open area with the frisbee flapping between them. 

“Stay where we can see you!” Michael shouts, and Calum curses under his breath that he didn’t think to say something to them…

He might be a bad father. 

The kids stop running instantly and start throwing the frisbee between them. They’re both  _ horrible _ , neither managing to throw the disc far, and when they get close to doing an alright toss, the other can’t catch it. It’s so simple and ridiculous, and Calum thinks he could watch them both attempt to play this game so poorly for the rest of the afternoon and be satisfied. 

But then Michael smiles at Calum, and Calum smiles back, and he remembers that as sweet as the children are,  _ this _ is what Calum made today happen for. “How was your morning?” he asks, and Michael laughs. 

“It was a bit of a nightmare waiting for noon,” Michael tells him, and Calum’s pulse sings beneath his skin, thumping quicker at the idea that Michael was anticipating this as much as him. “Corny kept trying to put his shoes on before we were ready to go.” 

“Sorry about that,” Calum apologizes, but doesn’t mean. He likes the idea of their excitement building just to hang out with Calum and Daphne. “Had a busy morning.” Michael opens his mouth to say something, but Calum hurries to add, “I still was really excited for this, though! Almost started speeding on the way to pick Daphne up from Mali’s.” 

It looks like it gives Michael the same, bashful reaction that Michael’s own enthusiasm gave him as he smiles down at the grass below their feet for a moment. Calum really hopes this is something flirty and not two weird dads blushing at each other in a public park. 

“Fancy a kick around?” Michael offers, his hand holding the soccer ball between them. 

“Yeah! I’d love one.”

“The kids will probably come running to interrupt in a few, but…” He shrugs and throws the ball out between them. Calum’s foot catches it first, kicking gently across the small six foot difference between them. Michael’s not bad, but he definitely doesn’t do this often. “So what is it you do for a living that had you so busy this morning?” 

Stopping the ball with his foot, Calum returns the pass, making certain to keep it easy and fun, not getting competitive with it. “I’m a session musician,” he explains. “We were finishing up this album for a local singer, but she needed some bass.” 

“So you play bass?”

“Bass, guitar, piano” Calum lists, focusing more on the ball than on what he’s saying. Talking about music is just something that comes naturally to him. “I have a ukelele, but that’s not for work.” 

“That’s sick!” There’s something of awe in Michael’s tone, grinning at Calum, and it makes him feel good. Pulling attention off of somebody that’s already captured him is something he doesn’t think will ever fail to have him standing taller. 

“What do you do?” he asks. 

Michael smirks, opens his mouth to answer, but then shakes his head. “I used to be a nanny,” he explains, “but I stopped with that a bit ago. I go to school for early childhood development. I want to take care of kids.” 

And while it’s probably the sweetest thing in the entire world, Calum only lets himself melt slightly. “That’s really admirable. I can tell you're really good with Corny.”

“Yeah?” 

“Definitely.” Calum nods. He keeps the ball under his foot for a moment, making sure Michael hears his next words, feeling like it’s important that he knows just how obvious it is that he’s more than just a parent to Corny, that he impresses Calum at every turn. “I know being his dad might have a lot to do with it, but it doesn’t change how careful and caring you are.”

As he passes the pall back, Michael grins, and it’s breathtaking. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate that.” He kicks that back and calum juggles it, popping it in the air off of the top of his foot and his bent knee. “What - ”

“Woah!” Corny’s shout cuts through the air between them. “Daphne look!”

Calum looks up and sees Daphne look over just before she as she’s about to throw the frisbee, and she rolls her eyes. “He’s just doing that to show up.” Calum smiles, knowing that she means ‘showing off,’ and lets the ball fall flat in front of him. “Mommy says it's annoying.” 

“No, it’s  _ spectacular!”  _ Corny lisps. “Mr. Hood - ” he comes running over, sliding in front of Calum with a clumsy gait. “Mr. Hood, can I try?”

Looking up for permission, Calum catches Michael just watching on. He explains, “I was gonna go professional when I was younger. Hurt my ankle and ruined that, but I can still do a few tricks.”

“I’m impressed.”

The appreciation makes him feel all warm, like he accomplished a goal of some sort. When he doesn’t move for a moment, Corny gets impatient and picks the ball up to try himself, and Calum laughs. “Here, let me help.” 

⇆

Disney releases another princess movie that Calum’s certain will be the next big thing with radio hits and cult following consisting of just about every demographic in the world, but Mali gets a new work assignment the weekend it comes out. Daphne, to nobody’s surprise, was more than a little upset, so Calum jumped forward to volunteer himself as a movie buddy. 

He also, maybe… possibly… reached out to Michael - with the phone number he exchanged at the park - and asked if he wanted to bring Corny along for another playdate. 

Corny was the deciding vote, and his vote was an overenthusiastic yes, Calum found out. He’d spent the week begging Michael to take him, asking every moment a lull came up in conversation. 

They make plans to meet up downtown, just outside the theatre, but when they make their way down the sidewalk, Daphne’s instantly angry. Corny’s dressed up like one of the main characters of the movie, and Daphne’s just wearing a sundress and a cardigan. She looks adorable - Calum himself was proud of the space buns he’d managed to perfectly twist her hair into - but it’s apparently not special enough, and she stomps her foot. 

“Why is he dressed up, and I’m not?” she shouts. Michael looks a little startled at the sound, and Calum sighs, not wanting to make a scene over this in the middle of downtown. “I wanna look like her!” She points to the poster of the princess, and Calum frowns. 

Squatting down, Calum sets his hands on her narrow shoulders. “I’m sorry, Daph. If I knew they were dressing up, I would’ve gotten you a costume.” 

“But I don’t even have a  _ crown _ !”

“Daphne,” Calum sighs. Moments like this really make it apparent to Calum that as involved with Daphne’s childhood as he was, he’s not  _ actually _ a parent, and he doesn’t have parent superpowers that somehow always make everything better. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have a crown for you. We can go buy one, but we might miss the movie.”

There’s a trinket store just a block down the road, but the movie’s due to start soon, and if they miss the beginning the rest of the movie will be filled with confused questions from Daphne that Calum won’t be able to answer. 

“But - ”

“Hey, I can…” Michael says, and both Calum and Daphne look up to see his bottom lip between his teeth. “If you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on Corny, I can do something really quick.” 

Calum tilts a brow, not sure what Michael could possibly do in just five minutes that’ll not only stop Daphne’s impending tantrum, but also somehow make her excited again. He nods slowly, putting his arm out for Corny to crowd into as Michael approaches the ticket stand. 

“It’s alright, Daphne,” Corny says, words soft as his hand reaches out to hold hers. “Michael’s great! He’s going to make you look  _ sensational _ .” Said with his lisp, it’s the sweetest thing Calum’s certain he’s ever heard. He grins and ruffles Corny’s hair, feeling warm when he leans into the touch. 

Over at the ticket stand, Calum can see Michael working with some green fliers. It’s something for something one of the activist groups in town have been handing out the past week, and Calum’s completely confused on what’s happening over there and how that’s going to translate into something that’ll help Daphne. He keeps staring until Daphne’s sniffle pulls him away. 

He looks back over to see her wiping her eyes, and he pulls her into a tight hug. “It’s okay, Daph. We’ll make you look like a princess.”

“She already does, Mr. Hood,” Corny corrects him, voice lilting upwards like it always does. “We’re just giving her a crown.”

It makes Daphne smile, even if only just slightly, and Calum really wants to know how on Earth Michael raised the sweetest kid in the entire world. Daphne’s a great kid, she’s wonderful and thoughtful and respectful, but she’s prone to tantrums and fits like every other child out there, but Corny’s just… wholesome. 

“I present to you…” Michael’s voice breaks through. Calum looks up to see him holding a paper crown made from the green fliers. He places it on Daphne’s head, and though there are some obvious places that the paper was torn so the pieces could stick together, it’s adorable. It’s a little big, so it sits a bit crooked, falling onto Daphne’s head, but it’s perfect. “Princess Daphne Hood.”

When Michael bows, Daphne giggles. “Thank you, Mr. Michael.”

Michael smiles, and Calum’s heart stutters in his chest. “Anytime, your majesty.”

The idea that there’s someone out in the world as perfect and kindhearted as Michael, and that he’s raising his child to somehow be even more considerate, makes it hard for Calum to live in the world. 

He thinks he may just have to die. 

⇆

Another work day runs long for Mali, and Calum’s not at all disappointed when she asks him to pick Daphne up from school again. He doesn’t mind on the car ride over, he doesn’t mind as he’s showing his ID at the counter, and he  _ definitely _ doesn’t mind as he’s waiting for Daphne to pack her bag up and Michael walks in, rubbing his shoulder against Calum’s on his way in. He’s wearing a long shirt that looks like it’s either high fashion or a pillowcase, and Calum has to spare a thought as to why he’s not a model right now. 

It feels less nerve-inducing to be at pick-up now. Ever since they went to the movies together, Calum and Michael have been texting a lot lately, and Calum likes to think they might be flirting. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Hood,” he whispers, stopping just for a moment. 

Grinning something silly at Michael, Calum returns with, “Good afternoon.” Michael giggles and slips off to greet Corny and help him put his stuff together. As they work, Daphne runs back over and smiles a wide and terrifying grin. 

“I’m ready for my favoritest uncle to buy me ice cream.” 

“Frozen yogurt,” Calum corrects, subtly peeking up to make sure Michael didn’t hear her. He’s tickling a giggling Corny’s stomach, tongue between his teeth, paying no mind, so Calum feels safe. Also, possibly, a little bit in love. 

“Of course, of course.” Daphne nods seriously, looking like she’s backtracking a terrible mistake. “That was my bad.”

Snorting at just how fucking weird she can be sometimes, Calum drops, crouching down so he’s eye level with her. “Hey, I was wondering how you’d feel about inviting Corny and Michael out to yogurt with us?”

As far as being smart goes, Calum doesn't necessarily think he's a poster child, but in this case, he definitely had something happening up there. He's asking Daphne because he doesn't want to force other people into their alone time and he can easily do something with Michael another time. But if she says yes, he can pretend it was her idea, make it so he doesn't look as eager as he definitely is.

When Daphne gasps, Calum knows they're not going alone. "Can I ask them?" She looks excited, and Calum can feel his cheekbones lifting with how hard he smiles. 

"Go ahead." 

With her little backpack bouncing behind her, Daphne runs off towards the table. She tugs on Michael’s jacket, and Calum has to hide how completely smitten he is when Michael’s eyes light up as Daphne starts speaking. After she asks, Michael nods eagerly and sends Daphne back to Calume - they’re all going to meet up at the yogurt shop,  _ Swirl _ , a few blocks over. 

Calum and Daphne arrive first, parking on the street just a few buildings down from the store front, and Daphne’s shaking as they wait for Michael and Corny, tapping her tiny feet on the pavement. “Where  _ are  _ they?”

If she were to pretend to look at a watch right now, Calum thinks he’d lose his goddamn mind laughing. 

Not even a minute later, the familiar SUV pulls in behind Calum’s car, parallel parking with an ease that impresses Calum and makes him jealous. Sphne sighs exaggeratedly,  _ “Finally _ .”

After Michael gets out from the driver’s seat and opens the back door, Corny’s scrambling out, racing past Calum and into the building, Daphne not too far behind him. The jingling of the door closing behind them is shadowed by Calum and Michael’s laughter. As they walk slower behind the kids.

“Imagine if I’d asked you out for  _ ice cream _ ,” Calum teases, reaching out to open the door for them. 

“Asked me out?” Michael teases, stepping inside. He’s smirking, and a blush climbs up his face at the feeling of being caught. 

A body attaching itself to his leg pulls him from having to answer. He looks down and Daphne’s pleading eyes are focused up at him. “They won’t let us order without you.” 

With a grin, Calum lets himself be pulled over to the counter, and everyone orders. Calum pays, seeing as he’s the one that invited everyone out, and the private smile Michael flashes him when he does makes it well worth the charge. 

They crowd into a booth together, Corny and Daphne huddling on the inside, scooting all the way over as they make a mess of their faces and hands. Michael sits down next to Corny, across from Calum, and says, “Thanks for inviting us, Calum. It was nice of you to pay.”

“Daphne invited you actually,” Calum points out, and Michael grins. He kicks the side of his foot against the side of Calum’s, and Calum kicks back. The table doesn’t move, and the kids don’t notice, but Calum’s blood runs hot, and his pulse hammers beneath his skin. 

“Remember how I was telling you about my friend that sings?” Michael brings up. 

A few nights ago, as they were texting, Michael mentioned his friend from college that sings and plays guitar at bars in the area once in a while. Calum nods along. “Yeah. Luke, right?”

“Yeah,” Michael nods, scooping his frozen yogurt and taking a bite. “He’s performing at this barin a few nights. I was wondering if you’d maybe want to come as my plus one?”

Plus one sounds like a date… Calum’s heart rate ticks up again. “I’d love to.”

For a moment, they’re just two idiots smiling at each other in the middle of a quiet frozen yogurt shop, and it’s everything. But then they’re interrupted by Corny’s polite, lisp-heavy voice. “Mr. Hood, I believe I need a napkin.” 

Calum looks over and snorts at the Blueberry Pomegranate yogurt covering the entire lower half of his face. 

⇆

Saturday Night, Calum finds himself completely lost in the bar. It’s so much more crowded than mic nights were when  _ he _ was performing a few years back, and somehow a twenty by twenty room is the largest space Calum’s ever been immersed in. He can’t find Michael, can’t even find the stage, but he does manage to knock into some guy carrying four beers in his large hands. 

“Sorry, sorry,” he apologizes as he stumbles backwards. He looks around hurriedly to make sure nothing spilled and no glasses broke around them, but the guy just laughs. 

“It’s all good.” 

He doesn’t stick around, disappearing into the crowd, somehow knowing the way to go in this stuffed full bar. Calum’s about to give up completely and make his way outside when he hears Michael’s laugh. He follows the noise, even after it gets drowned out by the sound of other people talking, and eventually finds Michael. 

He’s standing at a table, his head thrown back as he laughs at something one of his friends says, and he looks fucking  _ good _ . Calum thinks, mayhaps, he may like this man a lot - like a super lot. 

Making his way through the room, Calum approaches, and Michael’s mouth somehow gets bigger when he spots him. “Calum!” He waves him over, and Calum eagerly closes the distance. 

Taking in the other two guys at the table, Calum’s eyes light up when he sees the guy he bumped into just a few moments before. “Hey, I almost made you spill your beer,” he shouts to be heard over the pounding music.

“ _ Your _ beer, actually,” he corrects, and Calum looks down to see Michael sliding the drink in front of him. 

“Oh… cheers.” Calum lifts it up and drinks it, humming pleasantly when he finds out it’s not just the cheap stuff off tap. 

“Guys, this is Calum,” Michael introduces, and Calum swallows his drink to smile at the two guys across from him. “He’s Daphne’s dad.” 

“Right,” one of them - the one with platinum blond hair just past his ears and a thick black choke on - nods. “And Daphne goes to school with your son Cornelius Crane Cad - ”

There’s a thud and the table shakes. Based on the cringe of his face, Calum suspects Michael may have kicked his friend. “That’s Luke, he’s a certified idiot.” Calum snorts over the rim of his glass at the classless introduction, but Luke just smiles like it’s a normal way to be greeted.

Next to Luke, the guy who Calum bumped into on the floor clears his throat. “I’m Ashton. I’m in love with a certified idiot.”

“Congrats,” Calum tells him. Michael and Ashton laugh as Luke just pouts across from them. “So, Luke. You sing?”

Luke nods. “Yeah, I’m the closer tonight. Everybody says it’s good news, but I think they’re using me to clear out the bar.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.” 

“It’s not,” Michael agrees with Calum, but there’s a smirk on his lips. “He’s ugly and stupid, but he has the voice of an angel.”

It’s a little cruel, completely different to who he is around the kids, but Luke’s laugh is booming, something loud and joyous and full of love, and Calum thinks that maybe it’s just how their friendship is. It’s nice, that Michael’s not so perfect, that he has a different side that can be biting. It might be messed up, but Calum thinks he kind of likes him mean. 

“How did you two meet?” Calum wonders aloud, and Ashton jumps forward, the beer in his hand splashing only slightly over the edge. 

“Ooh, can I tell this one?”

“No,” Michael shuts him down immediately. “He’s  _ my _ plus one.” Calum giggles at the put-on frown Ashton wears. “Ashton and I roomed together our first year of uni, and Luke was always making excuses to come over and see us.”

“See me,” Ashton corrects. 

Michael glares. “ _ Us _ .” Calum giggles, thinking he knows where this is going just based on the affronted look on Michael’s face and the humor in Luke’s eyes. “He was always nicer to me than he was to Ashton. He ignored Ashton a lot.”

“I was playing hard to get - ”

“He was flirting with me,” Michael cuts Luke off. His voice raises an octave when he does so, and Luke chuckles at the drama. Calum’s absolutely loving this, amused at the clear dynamics already set between the three. 

“He’s terrible at telling stories,” Ashton says, and Caum turns his attention away from Michael’s mock-enraged face. “He thought my boyfriend was flirting with him for an entire year and kept telling me he didn’t know how to break it to Luke that he wasn’t his type.”

When Calum laughs, Michael’s glower strengthens. “You know what, actually I think Calum and I need to talk somewhere else.” He reaches out for Calum’s forearm and pretends to pull him away, but Calum just giggles harder, his feet steadying his place. 

“It’s okay, Michael,” he teases. “I can make Ashton think I’m coming onto  _ him _ if it’ll revive your ego.”

At first, Michael laughs, but when the context sinks in, red climbs up his pale neck and dusts his face. Luke finds it hilarious, near cackling in delight. “I like you, Calum.” Calum grins, happy to have approval from one of Michael’s best and oldest friends. “So how old are you, Calum?”

“Twenty-four.”

“Same as Michael,” Ashton says, nodding seriously. “Does that mean you were both around the same age when you had kids?

And suddenly the happy atmosphere shifts, and Calum swallows dryly past a rough lump sitting in the center of his throat. In his head, he does the math and curses when he realizes he was eighteen when Daphne was born, meaning he would have been a teen father - not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it makes him seem much more immature than he actually was. In fact, as far as teenagers go, Calum was much more mature than his friends - working full time to help Mali raise her daughter, taking on side jobs just to be able to supply this little girl with more than just the bare minimum. 

“Um, I think so,” Calum says, hoping nobody points out the slight shake to his voice. “I was eighteen.” He turns to Michael to ask, “How old were you?”

“About the same.” Michael nods and Calum nods, and there’s a weird moment where they’re all floating, something clearly off. Calum’s flooded with guilt. 

He’s a shitty liar. 

“Well, I think for being only eighteen, Michael’s killing it,” Ashton says, and Calum has to agree. Other than his own, Calum doesn’t see much in the way of fathers, but Michael’s always so considerate and supportive. “He’s one of the best dad’s I’ve ever met.”

Calum nods again, unable to stop the bobbing of his head. He feels a little odd, maybe a bit inadequate. He, himself, isn’t a dad, and hearing how good Michael is makes him feel like… It gives him a bit of a stomach ache when he thinks about how stupid he is for lying to Michael, how manipulative it is. 

And someone as pure as Michael doesn’t deserve that.

“Kids are his entire life,” Luke continues, making Calum only sink further in his doubt. “He’s with them for school, for work, Corny’s his world. He wasn meant for kids.” Calum nods, but his throat is dry, and he feels like anything he says will be cracked and choked and very obvious full of nerves. He likes kids, he loves Daphne, but he’s not a  _ dad _ . He’s a fucking liar. “When Corny’s mom left him Michael - ”

“Okay, cool,” Michael stops Luke, and Calum says a silent prayer. He assumes it’s a tough subject, and Calum couldn’t be happier for the relief in the guilt that was drowning him. “Let’s talk about anything else. Everybody say your favorite member of Maroon 5 on three. One, two…”

There are a few too many things on Calum’s mind that he thinks he really has to work out. He doesn’t think he can lie for much longer without feeling like he’s hurting Michael. 

⇆

Walking around the zoo, Calum’s mind is distant. 

They had a brilliant, drunken, idea at the bar after Luke’s performance to bring the kids to the zoo. They’d been planning on hanging out again sometime soon, and Daphne’s recently gotten into animals, and anytime she’s over at Calum’s apartment, she chases Duke around the house, excited to be around something with fur. 

Something like today would typically be full of enthusiasm from Calum, but anytime Michael says something to Corny or Daphne, any time he’s too good to be true, Calum gets scared, slipping further into his own head. He’s nervous that he might have actually ruined things with Michael by pretending to have a kid. 

Maybe it won’t show itself today or tomorrow, but soon enough something is going to slip up, and Calum’s going to be exposed as the world’s worst uncle, exploiting his niece as a method to a single father’s heart. 

Right now, they’re walking towards the Muskrats, and Corny’s getting a little too excited. They’re his favorite animal, according to the endless facts he’s been listing off since they met up in the parking lot, and he’s jumping up and down. Usually, Calum would be enjoying the exhilarated energy coming off of him, but he’s too busy feeling like an imposter in his own body. 

Corny’s enthusiasm is his own downfall in the end as he trips over a pebble on the sidewalk, falling down with a  _ thump _ . It’s not a serious injury, just a scraped knee, but Calum can see in his eyes that he’s seconds away from crying. 

Thinking quickly, Calum crouches down and sings his backpack off his shoulders. It’s filled to the brim with snacks, water, sunscreen, and the first aid kit he never leaves Mali’s house without. He makes quick work of the knee-scrape, and even though it isn’t bleeding, he still puts a princess band-aid on it just to make it feel  _ official _ for Corny. 

“Now if it starts hurting at all, let me know, and I’ll fix you up again,” Calum tells him seriously. Corny nods, but he doesn’t look put to ease at all. If anything, he looks even  _ closer _ to tears. “Hey, c’mere.” 

He pulls corny in and lets him cry on his shoulder, knowing sometimes all they can do is let him feel upset. Michael and Daphne are watching on, Daphne holding onto Michael's pant leg with a tight fist, half-hiding her face. It takes a minute or two for Corny to calm down, but when he does, Calum pulls back, wiping just underneath Corny’s eyes when he sees the tears still collecting there. 

“You feel better?” He asks, and Corny nods again, but this time it looks more genuine. “That’s good. Let's go see the Muskrats. I heard they were actually  _ waiting _ for you.” 

With a sad smile that shows a bit of hope, Corny reaches for Calum’s hand, rubbing his eye with his spare hand. Michael gives him a soft smile, and Calum grins back. 

As they’re looking at the animals a few minutes later, Michael leans in. “Saturday night, Corny’s at his mom’s,” he tells Calum. “Would you want to come over?”

“Yeah of course.”

“As a date, I mean,” he clarifies. “In case that wasn’t clear.”

Unable to stop himself, Calum bites his lip, letting himself blush just slightly. He knows they’ve been flirting, and that the bar was somewhat of a quasi-date, but this is just them. This is official. This is… “I’d like that a lot.”

Michael smiles something big and bright and beautiful, and it’s everything. 

⇆

Later that night, Calum’s sitting in Mali’s near-silent living room, only the sound of the clock ticking second-by-second to keep him company. 

It was over three hours ago that he brought Daphne home, but he’s not going to leave, not until he talks to his sister about what’s been plaguing his mind all week. Mali disappeared twenty minutes ago to put Daphne to bed, and since then, Calum’s been staring blankly at a framed picture of Daphne and Mali from christmas when Joy and David came to visit. Calum was there, of course, but he wasn’t in the picture because while he’s in the family, it’s not in the way that warrants a portrait like that. 

He isn’t Daphne’s dad. 

Despite the lack of anybody around to hear hims, Calum dramatically huffs, crossing his arm and sinking deeper into the cushions of the couch. 

Five minutes later, Mali comes trotting downstairs, a towel in her arms from giving Daphne a bath. She makes her way to the laundry room, tosses the towel on the floor, and makes her way into the living room, throwing herself on the armchair across from Calum with a sigh. “Never have kids,” she warns. “They’re impossible.”

“Daphne’s perfect.”

“Yeah… she is,” Mali agrees with a sickly-sweet grin. 

Not for the first time, Calum spares a thought into his lack of a family. He knows that one day he’d  _ love _ to have children. Maybe not now, but eventually. He never saw himself with anyone there, but seeing how Michael’s doing with Corny, he longs for something like that, something special that just  _ works _ . 

He groans and sinks into the couch, and Mali immediately senses something off. “What’s wrong, little brother?” she asks, and Calum sighs. 

“I really like this guy - ” his explanation is interrupted by Mali gagging, and Calum glares until she stops. She still doesn’t understand Calum’s fascination with Michael, but she doesn’t need to; this is about Calum. “Seriously. I’m really into him, but if he finds out Daphne’s not my daughter…”

“Which he  _ will, _ ” Mali insists. “There’s no way he won’t, Cal. If you date him for more than a week, he’s going to find out that you don’t have a kid.”

“Okay, but what if…” Weighing a few options in his head, Calum suggests, “What if he doesn’t remember?”

As the words are coming out of his mouth, Calum cane hear how stupid he sounds saying, and Mali gaspes, hearing the idiocy as well. “You think he’s just going to  _ forget _ you have a daughter?” she asks, and Calum sinks lower in his seat. 

“No…” 

Mali starts laughing, and Calum’s cheeks heat up. “God you’re stupid.” 

“I know, okay. I  _ know _ .”

“You have to come clean,” Mali tells him, and Calum rolls his eyes. Calum’s a full-grown adult who works full-time and lives in his own place. He’s mature and smart and not the same kid he used to be. Yet somehow Mali still makes him feel like some dumb fifteen year old trying to sneak out of the house and getting caught by her. “Tell him Daphne’s your niece.” 

“I will!” 

⇆

He won’t. 

Dinner at Michael’s goes fantastically, and somehow, instead of telling the truth, Calum ends up lingering just outside of the kitchen door, watching Michael clean up their dishes. They’d talked, over the meal, about maybe watching a movie or going for a walk afterwards, but as time passed by, Calum could feel the air between them getting a bit more charged, a bit more tense. 

Even as he places the dishes in the sink, Michael keeps giving him these heated glances that twist pleasantly in Calum’s stomach. 

A movie isn’t going to happen, and the only walking they're going to do will be to Michaell’s bed, so he can be taken apart properly. 

When Michael finally finishes up, Calum, with his eyes lidded and his lips pursed, just slightly, asks, “What do you want to do then?” And Michael’s smirk triples Calum’s heart rate.

“What I want?” Michael repeats, leaning in so his lips hover just over Calum’s. “Is you, on my bed, five minutes ago.” Calum feels his body shiver, the sensation running up and down his limbs at Michael’s words. “Is that alright with you?”

“On the bed?” Calum wonders, clearing his throat, his hands sliding up and down Michael’s back, looking at Michael’s lips. “Yeah, sounds good. Bed? Floor? Couch? I’m up for anything, really.” Michael smirks, swaying forward and capturing Calum's lips with his as they walk towards the bedroom. 

It’s an odd path they make, tripping over nothing as they go, but soon they pass through Michael’s bedroom door and collapse on the bed together. Calum ends up on top, his legs straddling Michael as their tongues tangle and their hands roam over each other's bodies. 

“Wanted this since you first walked into that classroom,” Calum whispers across Michael’s lips. “Knew then I had to see you again.” 

With a cockiness that turns Calum on to no end, Michael starts trailing kisses across Calum’s jaw. “You’re not the only one, baby.” He reaches up and pulls at Calum's shirt, using the opportunity to roll Calum on his back, his hands working open Calum's jeans. Calum’s on autopilot, helping Michael push his jeans down his thighs so he’s wearing only his boxer briefs. 

“This is rather uneven right now,” Calum says, reaching for Michael’s shirt. Michael kisses Calum, his tongue sliding against Calum's open mouth before he retreats long enough to toss his shirt to the floor, Calum nipping at Michael’s newly-exposed collarbone, his teeth raking across the sensitive skin. Michael takes it upon himself to pin Calum's hands above his head, holding him there.

“In a biting mood?” Michael asks. Calum rolls his hips as an answer, rubbing against Michael, the friction making him moan. Michael leans down, sucking at a nipple, making Calum's back arch.

“Only because I know you like it,” Calum rasps as he pants. Maybe it’s because of how they’ve been walking on eggshells, too afraid to push things past platonic with the kids around, or maybe Michael just affects him so goddamn much, but Calum’s was getting riled up already - still with his boxers on and Michael still half-clothed. “Too many clothes, Michael.” 

Applying pressure to where Michael’s holding onto him, Calum realizes he’s unable to break free. His body flushes when he realizes just how under Michael’s power he is. Michael swears under his breath, getting off of the bed in a rush, and Calum sits up, confused, watching as he walks into the adjoined bathroom. 

For a moment, he’s worried that he had said something wrong, or maybe they moved too quickly and Michael needs a moment, but the thought is tossed quickly aside when Michael emerges with lube and a condom. Relieved, Calum reaches down between his legs, stroking himself through the fabric of his boxers, a patch of wetness, precum, soaking through the thin cotton.

Before reaching the bed, Michael tosses the lube and condom onto it, so he can walk out of his jeans. He slides his boxers off at the same time, standing there completely naked. After letting his hungry lingers for a beat too long, Calum shimmies to the end of the bed, throwing his legs over the side as he reaches out, grabbing hold of Michael’s thighs, pulling him closer. It’s not often that Calum’s this easy for it, but something about MMichael makes him shake with want. 

Calum wrapps his mouth around Michael’s cock, sucking on the head for a few seconds before his hollows mouth, tracing up and down the length, tongue teasing him. Michael grunts, his fingers immediately raking through Calum's hair, tensing lightly around the strands. 

Instinctively, loving the feeling of giving up control, Calum moans, his fingers digging into Michael’s thighs as Michael guides his cock into Calum's mouth, controlling the pace. Calum balls one of his hands into a fist as he opens his throat, Michael hitting the back of it as he thrusts in and out of his mouth. The pressure has tears filling up Calum’s eyes, and he pulls away, gasping for air for a second before opening his mouth, tongue sticking out as if asking for more. 

Obliging, Michael holds the back of Calum's head with one hand while the other feels his neck, feels the length of him slide down Calum's throat. He stills for a few moments, until Calum taps against his thigh, pulling back, coughing, wiping his mouth as he looks up at Michael, licking his lips. Michael’s cock is dripping wet with Calum's spit, and it makes him throb between his legs. His eyelids are heavy with want as Michael leans down and kisses him, open mouthed and intense. Calum opens his legs, his hand palming his hard on and Michael reaches down, fingers outlining Calum's cock, sliding across the hem of Calum's boxers before pulling at it, snapping it against Calum's skin. “F-fuck, Michael.” 

With a moan, Calum lies back against the bed, using his arms and legs to scoot back as Michael watches him move, watches him hook his thumbs on the fabric of his boxer briefs and slide them down, catching for a second on his cock, a bead of precome dripping on his stomach. It’s like a show he’s putting on, something to spur Michael into action. Calum tosses his boxers to the floor, adding it to the mess that they’ve already made. 

There’s a heavy weight Michael’s stare as he reaches down for the lube, one knee going on the bed, ready to move forward. 

“How do you want me?” Calum asks, surprised at the sound of his own voice. He’s still panting as the anticipation builds from his core, and his voice is breathy and quiet as Michael ponders. Calum lies his head back against the pillow, spreading his legs wide, hands on his dick as he whines out. 

Michael moves then, climbing onto the bed, stilling on his knees in front of Calum. “Like that,” is all he replies with. Apparently, his big mouth isn’t so big when it comes down to fucking, and Calum can’t say he hates it. He’s not one for dirty talk, not wanting much more than  _ action _ , and it’s a small relief that Michael seems to be the same way. 

As he hears the lube being uncapped, Calum closes his eyes, linking his ankle around Michael’s leg, letting the other fall to the side as he feels Michael’s lube-slick finger press against his entrance. Calum bites down, grunting as Michael breacheds him, stroking himself to relax as Michael begins fucking him with one finger slowly. It was always his favorite part of foreplay, to jack himself off as he was stretched, to feel full and surrounded at the same time. He found that it felt better, as he prepared to be fucked, and this time wasn’t any different.

It makes him moan at every intrusion, every time that Michael thrusts into him. It’s intimate, feels monumental, after getting himself off in the shower, in the morning before work - once in the bathroom  _ at _ work - for the past month thinking about Michael, and now he’s about to be fucked by him. Calum's breath hitches in his throat as Michael adds a second finger, stretching him slowly while Calum slowly loses himself. 

“Taking your time?” Calum asks, his fingers splayed across his stomach as he looks up at Michael, his hips moving against Michael’s rhythm. Michael pulls back with a crooked grin, and Calum immediately feels the emptiness consume him, pouting, his fingers raking across his stomach as he breathes in deeply through his nose. 

Raising an eyebrow at Calum, Michael spreads more lube between his fingers, showing Calum three fingers like a question. “Can you take them, baby?” 

Calum swallows, nodding his head. “Yes, yes,  _ yes _ ,” he whispers, licking his lips. It’s a good burn, the feel of Michael’s thick fingers fucking into him, stretching him, readying him, but Calum aches for Michael’s cock. It’s teasing him, hanging untouched between Michael’s legs, weeping, throbbing, begging to be touched. Calum, propping himself up with one elbow, reaches for it, tugging it as he wraps his fingers around Michael’s length. As his cock jumps in Calum’s grip, Michael hisses, his hips rocking into Calum's fist as he fucks Calum with three fingers. 

Scooting closer, his legs open as wide as he can make them, Calum’s own cock twitches between his legs, smearing precome across his stomach. “I’m ready,” Calum gasps, prepared to fucking  _ beg _ for it. He doesn’t need to, though, as Michael withdraws his fingers, and Calum falls back against the bed, licking at his fingers, his eyes fluttering closed as he hears the condom wrapper being ripped open.

As he feels Michael press into him, sliding in slowly, Calum’s eyes flutter open on a sharp inhale. He reaches his hands out, finding Michael’s thighs, gripping them tightly as Michael eases into him, holding onto Calum's hips as he begins moving within him. Calum gasps, his chest rapidly rising and falling as he tries to meet Michael’s rhythm. 

Before he can, Michael shifts, his hands holding onto Calum's thighs as he picks up the pace, the sound of skin meeting skin filling the room, along with Calum's never-ending litany of noises. Michael’s mouth finds Calum's as a hand holds onto the back of Calum's neck, their chests pressing together as Michael’s hips piston against Calum's. It feels like everything’s happening too fast, but after having Michael’s thick, skilled fingers stretching him, after having his throat filled by Michael’s cock, Calum doesn’t think either of them were ever going to last very long. 

It feels like Calum’s moaning continuously, crying out, unable to stop himself as Michael fucks him without pause. Calum's mouth moves from Michael’s lips to his neck, to his collarbone, licking up his sweat, marking him with tiny bites. 

The quickening of Michael’s pace tells Calum that he’s close, that he’s just on the edge of cumming. Hebites down on Michael’s neck, tongue lapping at it, fingers raking down Michael’s back, doing anything he can to get him there. Michael shudders, stilling as he cums. He ridesit out, continuing to fuck Calum slowly, pulling out as he tries to catch his breath. Calum's legs feel like rubber, his mind fuzzy with want, his body already empty without Michael inside him, his cock heavy as it lies against his stomach. 

Moving Calum like a rag doll, Michael pulls him down the bed until his feet fall over the edge.With his knees on the ground, the palms of his hands flat against Calum's stomach, Michael takes Calum into his mouth. Calum arches his back, oversensitized and so fucking  _ close _ . 

He pulls at Michael’s hair, his leg twitching as he cums down Michael’s throat, too fucking hot too hold off much longer when the tight, wet heat envelopes him. Something about the speed of it has him laughing through his orgasm, covering his mouth with one hand as his stomach spasms. He feels his muscles contracting, feels his toes curling, twitching in the aftershocks long after he’s fallen out of Michael’s mouth, dick spent and limbs heavy. 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” He mutters, swallowing, trying to wet his dry mouth. He can’t move, let alone think. Michael fucked him raw, hard, and he would definitely be feeling it the next day… probably the day after that as well. 

He’s vaguely aware that Michael had gotten up, that he had opened the bedroom door, and he’s brought around when a cool glass of water is pressed against his cheek. Calum flinches away from the cool glass, despite how good it feels against his flushed skin. He can feel his blood pumping through his veins, throbbing. He sits up, gulping the water down in thanks. 

“Thank you,” he repeats his sentiment out loud when he’s half-emptied the glance. 

Michael laughs, his sharp grin lighting up the entire room. “Don’t thank me, baby,” he insists. “It was my pleasure.” 

⇆

On top of the world, two days after an awesome playdate at sky-zone with Michael and the kids, Calum goes to pick up Daphne to give Mali some time to buy Daphne's birthday present for her party, just a week and a half away. Like every time Calum picks up Daphne, he’s filled with anticipation to see Michael. He’s afraid their time together might be coming to an end soon, fears his own lies are going to unravel and expose him. 

Until that time comes, Calum’s going to make the most of being near Michael. 

When he walks into the classroom, he whistles, and Daphne beams up at him, starting to gather her stuff. Long gone are the days when she’d run up to him, now used to seeing him once or twice a week. Is it sad that the thrill is gone? Slightly. But it’s incredible getting to spend more time with her, so Calum doesn’t let it affect him so much. 

“Father!”

As Calum hears Corny’s energized shout, he grins, turning to greet Michael. He’s surprised when it isn’t the guy he’s dating, but instead, a forty year old man with thin, wire glasses opens his arms, bends down, and picks Corny up off the ground, spinning him in a small circle. They look achingly similar to each other, and Calum stares on, confused, as they pack up Corny’s bag together. 

“Ready, Uncle Calum?” Daphne asks, landing at Calum’s feet. He holds up a finger, not looking down at all. 

“One moment.” 

As Corny and the man walk past, Corny shouts a grin-filled, “See you soon, Mr. Hood.”

The man smiles at Calum, and Calum  _ needs  _ to know what’s happening. “Hi, are you…” 

“I’m Rick Cadbury,” he introduces himself, sticking a hand out that Calum half-heartedly shakes. “Cornelius’ dad.”

Calums brows dip in confusion. “I thought Michael - ”

“No, Michael’s our caretaker,” Rick corrects, a bit of a laugh in his tone. “He just looks after Conrelius for us.”

Though he hears the words, Calum doesn’t understand them. For the past month or so, he’s spent at least three days a week with Corny and Michael, and he’s  _ certain _ that Michael’s Corny’s Da. But then again… Calum’s been lying about being Daphne’s dad, and Michael’s thought he was real. 

If Calum’s thought through this properly and has come to the right conclusion, then Michael isn’t Cornys dad; he’s his… what? His caretaker? His nanny? He’s something other than a father, which means he’s a  _ liar _ . 

“Oh, okay, “he nods, still just as confused as before. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

They walk away, and Daphne’s impatient, angry voice asks, “Can we leave  _ now _ ?”

“Yeah, come on.” He reaches down and grabs Daphne’s hand, feeling pretty fucking angry hismelf. Being lied to tightens a coil in his stomach that comes with the shame of feeling betrayed. 

⇆

For the past few days, Calum’s been ignoring Michael’s messages. He’s too afraid to leave Michael on  _ Read _ , doesn’t like how cold and finite that feels, like an absolute ending to everything, so he’s chosen to leave the messages unopened. He just never expected it to hurt so much to see Michael’s begging messages and inquisitions on what he did wrong show up on the top of his screen every time a new notification came through. 

With Daphne’s birthday party just around the corner, Mali begged Calum to pick her up while she finished setting up for the party. Originally, Calum had said a fervent, unwavering  _ no _ , explaining to her all about the mix up. 

It didn’t get the sympathetic response he’d been expecting, and instead, she’s laughed for a solid fifteen minutes, slowing her cackles down only to pick them up again when she remembered what was so hilarious in the first place. Calum had wanted it to end until it actually did, and Mali spent the  _ next _ fifteen minutes yelling at him about the hypocrisy of his anger, and that while he may think he wants to be angry, he did the  _ exact _ same thing. 

And then he was forced to pick Daphne up.

At first, Calum had wanted to get to the school early enough to swipe Daphne before Michael could show up and make him confront his own karma, but the more he thought of it, the more he realized how ridiculous his anger was. 

As much as he hates to admit it, Mali’s right. All the betrayal Calum’s feeling is just a reflection of his own guilt, a shadow thrown back at him from being a liar and getting  _ exactly  _ what he deserved. 

He’s sitting outside of the classroom now, parents walking over his legs to grab their kids from the class. He gets more than a couple of odd stares, and he’s just starting to get twitchy when Michael finally walks down, legs slowing as he hesitantly approaches Calum’s slumped form. “Hey, stranger…”

Slowly, Calum looks up, face blank as he asks, “What’s your last name?” Michael lifts an eyebrow, confused, opening his mouth to say something, but Calum continues, “It’s not Cadbury, I know that. Corny’s not your son.” 

“Calum…” Michael’s face is ashen, he looks like he’s seen a ghost, but Calum doesn’t want him to make it seem like he’s angry, because he isn’t anymore. He’s mostly just confused on how they both got so far in their tales. 

“Daphne’s my niece,” he admits, and Michael’s jaw clicks shut. “I lied because I thought you’d only be interested in dating someone else with kids, but…  _ you _ don’t have kids.”

“I’m… so fucking lost,” Michael mutters. His palm runs down his face and Calum pouts. This is how he wanted this to go. “What’s happening?” Calum sighs, holding his hands out, and Michael pulls him up. “Is this why you’ve been ignoring me all week?”

“Well, yeah,” he answers honestly. “I’ve been mad.”

Michael frowns, and Calum can see the moment the piousness of his anger sinks in. “Mad? You did the exact same thing.” 

“I  _ know _ ,” Calum groans. The stupidity of it all making everything seem ridiculous. “I just felt betrayed, but I was doing the same thing… It’s been a really complicated week.”

For a moment, neither of them says anything. A mother and her son come walking through the door hand in hand, slipping between Calum and Michael with a thin-smile on their faces. As they walk down the hallway, footsteps following in a diminishing echo, Michael turns back to Calum with a softer grin. 

“So,” he starts, taking a hesitant step forward, “if I’m getting this right. Neither of us have kids. We’re both single, and we lied our  _ asses _ off to impress each other?”

Calum nods, laughing when the idiocracy of it is said out loud. “God, yeah. That sounds right.”

“Well that seems like a pretty solid foundation for a relationship to me.” Michael reaches out and grabs both of Calum’s hands in his, fingers lacing together, and Calum chuckles under his breath. “Would you like to accompany me to your niece’s birthday party this weekend?”

Calum shakes his head. “Absolutely.” And Michael grins. 

“ _ Spectacular _ !” There’s a slight lisp as he raises his voice up, and he sounds so similar to Corny that Calum can’t help but laugh. “Just tell me one thing. Do you really have a dog called Duke? Lying about children is fine, but I draw the line at dogs.” 

“He’s real,” Calum promises as a smile takes over his face. “And you’re going to love him.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments are always appreciated
> 
> [Come talk to me on Tumblr!](http://fourdrunksluts.tumblr.com)


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